Customer Reviews

The Odyssey (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Merely reviewing the Odyssey would be superfluous: it is, quite simply, the greatest adventure story of all-time. Its age and long endurance have only served to increase its reputation. There have been countless translations - including Alexander Pope's famous one, as well as the standard Oxford text - and this is the most recent major translation. It is also an essential purchase for any fan of the Odyssey, and, I think, the best place to start for those who have never read the epic in any form before. Fagles has given us a startling new modern verse translation, for which he has been widely acclaimed and given numerous awards, and it helps to restore the epic poem to some of its original Hellenic splendor, while, at the same time, being extremely exciting, immensely readable, and highly commendable. Fagles's translation is a masterpiece in itself. Aside from the masterful translation, the book is a deluxe must-own: complete with library binding, it also includes a long (60+ page) introduction from Bernard Knox, which is scholarly and interesting, while also remaining immensely readable. Knox has also provided deluxe notes for the edition, and it is further rounded out by such bonuses as a series of maps depicting Homeric geography, a pronunciation dictionary, and several other sections giving you background information on the Odyssey, Homer, and the translation. Certainly the definitive version of The Odyssey available to the mass market today, I cannot fathom why it isn't more popular here at Amazon, as it is the version that you most consisentently see on bookshelves across the country. Let us help change that by making this the version of The Odyssey you purchase, if you are at all interested in it, Homer, or ancienct Greek epics.

A long review is pointless. This is a gripping translation of a great work. Fagles has accomplished the difficult task of rendering the formal language of the Odyssey into a form of modern English that apparently preserves the poetry of the original. Very easy to read and quite powerful. Though I have not looked at the popular Fitzgerald translation for many years, I would have to say that I prefer this one. This edition comes with an excellent introductory essay and notes by Bernard Knox. Readers who enjoy this book and translation should immediately pick up Fagles' translation of the Iliad. The latter is an even greater epic and probably harder to translate. The Fagles version of the Iliad is outstanding.

I think that this book is interesting for me,i like this book because is about a history that happened in real life that in those years the people were diffrent then now. You can find the universal values in the book i like it because there was a really good history. I recomend this book to the people because its very interesting.

This book was one of the better books i have read and would first off like to tell you that if you want to read it, go ahead, its worth the time. I cant help but think of Kevin Sorbo's Hercules when i read this book, maybe because the two are so much alike. The way the story is told makes the reader want to know more and more about the story, there for, they keep reading. Well, thats atleast what happened to me. Once again, if you are interested in this book, go on, read it! I assure you that its worth your time.

I think that the book is good because they show many things like the universal values. The book talks about one person that is kindapped for 20 years and the things that he needs to pass to back home,i think there was a really good history and i like it but i dont like so many things for example the cyclops that monsters with one eye cuz i dont trust in that things so thats is why i dont like it.

The book of Odyssey is very good and interesting because they talk about all the things that Odysseus passed in his life,in all places terifics that he going and all the things that Odysseus suffered because of Athena's rage and the Poseidon's rage that they want to take revenge against of Odysseus and also talk about the hope that Odysseus had to came back his home with his wife and be happy with her.It is very good because do you learn about this book and all things that one suffered in the life and we can't loss the hope.

This book was a cool one it was interesting because Odysseus survive for 20 years out of home because Athena get mad whith Odysseus and ask for help to Poseidon so he can't kill Odysseus I think that what Athenas did was wrong because after a while she take it easy and live alone Odysseus but Poseidon wanted to finish his joband he still bodered Odysseus Odysseus get home after 20 years I think that Odysseus very though because he did not give upand still fighting to get home.

I think that the Odyssey its a book interesting because it talks about a lot of thinks and the universal theme is truth conquires all because is a book that give us an example of love,
because nobody can separate a family that love each other.
this book show us that not matter who traying to separate a
family that love each other nobody can separate them.

the book will bored the persons who don't take reading the same book for more than a month, but for the ones who read it will think it's one of the best books and it is .